Chapter 7

Suddenly the grate covering an air duct crashed forward into the room and a dark head emerged.

"You guys looking for an escape route?"

Kol instantly had his blaster trained on the speaker who held up defensive hands.

"Hey, hey! I didn't have to speak up. I could have sat in here till you two were smoked but I didn't, did I? You wanna get out of here or not?"

"Put the blaster down, will ya?" Luke exclaimed to Kol. "He's trying to help us!"

"We don't know that..."

But Luke was already climbing into the air duct after the newcomer. "You coming or not?" His head disappeared into the duct.

Kol holstered his blaster in annoyance. "You could've just shot him," he said to himself as he climbed into the duct and replaced the grate behind him. "But here you are climbing into an air duct like an idiot."

He heard noises in the room they'd just left behind. It wouldn't be long before they figured out where the intruders went. Kol moved with renewed enthusiasm through the duct, following the noise of Luke and their new companion. It was a tangled maze but the stranger seemed to know his way. They eventually came out into a small empty room.

Kol was anxious to get rid of the man, though now he realized it was a much younger person than he originally thought. Probably not much older than Luke.

"Alright we've got it from here," Kol stated. It was a dismissal but the man seemed in no hurry to leave.

"Oh so you've got a plan for the security protocol you've just set off? And I'm sure you've got a speeder waiting at a safe distance for a quick escape because you clearly have everything under control."

Kol's instincts kicked in. He knew they didn't have much time. He drew the shock knife and held it against the boy's throat. "What's your play here?"

"Take it easy, we're on the same side." He spoke calmly, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Can we not do this later?" Luke pleaded. "Like after we're done escaping?"

"I like the way he thinks," said the youth.

But Kol persisted. "We're not going anywhere until you start spilling. What are you after?"

"Dirt. Revenge. And from the looks of the file you just stole, our enemy is mutual."

Kol had slipped the data pad from the record room into his jacket pocket. He didn't realize he'd been seen doing it. This kid was observant.

"How do you know what's in the file?" he asked suspiciously.

"You found it in the imperial section. There's only one imperial who uses this agency."

Kol still had questions but those had to be tabled for now. He'd concluded this newcomer wasn't an immediate threat and that was enough for the moment.

"Alright well since you think you know everything," he said as he put away his knife. "What's your suggestion for getting out of here?"

The dark youth explained what he knew about the safety protocol. Each exit now had two guards posted while others did a sweep of the building. There were slim chances of successfully fighting their way out. The best option was disguise. The three pinned themselves against the wall next to the door, waiting for the guards to do a sweep of the room. The door slid open minutes later and two security guards wearing all black stepped in. Kol's swift hand plunged his knife blade into the first guard's throat. The other reacted but it was too late. Soon they were both on the floor, dead.

"Bravo," their new friend said appreciatively. Luke was less enthusiastic and wore it plainly on his face.

"Alright," said Kol. "There's only two uniforms here so one of us is going to have to be a pretend prisoner and I vote the new guy."

"No, you don't want that. They know my face. It'll make things ten times worse, trust me."

"You think they don't know my face?" Kol fired back. "They see me and it's game over for all of us."

Luke spoke up. "They don't know me."

"They've got a file on you kid," Kol protested.

"Yeah but they have no idea what I look like. I've been on earth the past eighteen years. Face it, I'm our best shot at things not escalating if they see us."

"No arguments from me!" the other boy was already donning the black uniform.

Kol begrudgingly agreed, though he would have much preferred for the stranger to play prisoner.

They entered the hall cautiously but no one was there. Kol went ahead of them carrying the dead guard's weapon in ready position. The young man followed behind with a hand on Luke's arm, pretending to lead him. Luke was wearing binders but they weren't fastened all the way. The hall let out into another hall and then branched off in two directions.

"Left," muttered the young man.

Kol turned left and the other two followed him. Soon they came out on a platform where several speeders were parked. Also on the platform were four guards: two several feet away and two more on the other side of the platform covering another entrance. The two closer ones approached them.

"The intruder?" one demanded directly.

"One of them," Kol said smoothly. "We have reports of at least three more."

"Why did you bring him here? Take him to level five."

Luke watched nervously. Their plan was surely about to go haywire. He was surprised to hear Kol adopt an authoritative tone.

"I don't recall your promotion announcement."

"Uh, sir..."

"Or do you presume to give me orders?"

The guard finally took notice the symbol on Kol's uniform and realized it outranked his by several positions. Kol was now firing off words in the tone of a drill sergeant about to come down hard on a pitiful new recruit.

"The area is compromised and you have the audacity to try and order me to take an intruder that somehow got into our highly secure building back into the compromised building? Where do you get off? I hope it's on misery and self-loathing because that's all you'll have left when I'm done with you!"

"I... I'm so sorry sir. It's just the security protocol..."

"I wrote the security protocol! Don't tell me about security protocol!"

"Of course not sir..."

"Now I'm going to take that speeder over there and transfer this prisoner to a secure location and you're gonna think long and hard about your future in this organization, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

When they were far enough from the building that it blended in with the rest of its surroundings, Luke let out a long breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"I can't believe that worked."

"Of course it worked," said the other smiling youth. "It was my plan."

"Which would have blown up in our faces if it wasn't for me," Kol reminded him.

"Did you really write the security protocol?" Luke asked.

Kol looked at him incredulously. "Of course not! But those betas don't know that. If you yell loud enough and get in their faces they don't have time to think."

"Sounds like your whole parenting philosophy," Luke scoffed.

"It worked, didn't it? Look how you turned out!"

"Wait..." the young man looked back and forth between the two of them. "This guy's your father? That's a rough bit of luck."

"No he's not. Thank God."

"Who?"

Luke starred. "God? Come on, don't tell me that's not a thing here. Ever heard of Christmas?"

"Not a thing," said Kol. "Not here, kid."

"That's just messed up."

The youth observed Kol's driving and pointed to a flow of traffic breaking off to their right. "Go to residential district thirteen. I've got a spot there."

Kol wanted to differ but he didn't have any better options. He veered right without enthusiasm.

"Hey we don't know your name. I'm Luke."

"Go ahead and give him your social security number," Kol said contemptuously.

"If Christmas isn't a thing here, I highly doubt social security numbers are." He turned back to their new companion. "What's your name?"

"I'm Rafe. Rafe Windu."